Golf putter with aligning device

ABSTRACT

A GOLF PUTTER INCLUDES AN ENLARGED AND REARWARDLY ELONGATED UPPER PORTION WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A DEVICE FOR CORRECTLY ALIGNING THE PUTTER WITH A GOLF BALL AND A HOLE INTO WHICH THE BALL IS TO BE DRIVEN. THE ALIGNING DEVICE CONSISTS OF AN ELONGATED ROD, WHICH MAY BE TELESCOPING, ATTACHED TO THE HEAD OF THE PUTTER AND EXTENDING NORMAL TO THE BALL STRIKING FACE OF THE PUTTER. THE ROD MAY BE RETAINED IN A V-SHAPED GROOVE EXTENDING ACROSS THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE ELONGATED PORTION BY MEANS OF A BAR OR ROD MAGNET WITHIN THE PUTTER HEAD IMMEDIATELY BELOW AND PARALLEL TO THE GROOVE. ALTERNATIVELY, THE ROD MAY BE POSITIONED IN A THROUGH BORE IN THE ENLARGED PORTION AND RETAINED THEREIN EITHER BY A BAR MAGNET EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE ROD OR BY A SPRING-BIASED BALL ENGAGING A GROOVE IN THE ROD. MARKINGS MAY BE PROVIDED ON THE ROD TO PROVIDE REFERENCE POINTS WHICH CAN BE USED BY THE GOLFER TO DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF THE STROKE NEEDED TO DRIVE A BALL THE DESIRED DISTANCE. THE ELONGATED SURFACE OF THE ENLARGED PORTION IS ADAPTED TO PROVIDE AN AIMING AID WHEN THE ROD IS DETACHED FROM THE CLUB.

June 6, 1972 J. J. PALOTSEE 3,667,761

GOLF PUTTER WITH ALIGNING DEVICE Filed Sept. 8, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

JOHN J. PALOTSEE AGENT June 6, 1972 J. J. PALOTSEE 3,667,761

GOLF PUTTER WITH ALIGNING DEVICE Filed Sept. 8, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOHN J PALOTSEE United States PatentOflice 3,667,761 GOLF PUTTER WITH ALIGNING DEVICE John J. Palotsee, J. P. Putter & Guide Co., Box 1225, Youngstown, Ohio 44501 Filed Sept. 8, 1970, Ser. No. 70,346 Int. Cl. A63b 69/36 US. Cl. 273-186 A 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A golf putter includes an enlarged and rearwardly elongated upper portion which is provided with a device for correctly aligning the putter with a golf ball and a hole into which the ball is to be driven. The aligning device consists of an elongated rod, which may be telescoping, attached to the head of the putter and extending normal to the ball striking face of the putter. The rod may be retained in a V-shaped groove extending across the upper surface of the elongated portion by means of a bar or rod magnet within the putter head immediately below and parallel to the groove. Alternatively, the rod may be positioned in a through bore in the enlarged portion and retained therein either by a bar magnet extending parallel to the rod or by a spring-biased ball engaging a groove in the rod. Markings may be provided on the rod to provide reference points which can be used by the golfer to determine the length of the stroke needed to drive a ball the desired distance. The elongated surface of the enlarged portion is adapted to provide an aiming aid when the rod is detached from the club.

This invention relates to a golf putter and more particularly to a putter which is provided with an easily removable rod to assist the golfer in correctly aligning the putter with the golf ball and the hole in the golf green into which the ball is to be driven.

Numerous devices have been suggested to aid a golfer in correctly aligning his putter so as to drive the ball in the desired direction. These devices are of numerous types among which are those which employ a rod or shaft which extends normal to the plane of the striking face of the putter. Illustrative this type of aligning device is that shown in my US. Pat. application Ser. No. 647,032, filed June 19, 1967, now US. Pat. No. 3,529,830, issued Sept. 22, 1970.

These prior aligning devices, however, have a number of faults. Some of the earlier devices are difiicult to install on a golf putter and are not provided with an means for assuring that the sighting rod is correctly aligned. Others have complicated assemblies and are thus expensive to manufacture. Still others require the provision of holes or slots in the putter head and thus render the putter unusable in regulation play.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a golf putter and aligning device therefor which is of simple, inexpensive construction. It is also an object of my invention to provide a golf putter and an aligning device in which the aligning device is readily removed from and installed on the putter head and in which the aligning device is automatically positioned so as to extend normal to the ball striking face of the putter without the need for any adjustment on the part of the user. A further object of my invention is the provision of an aligning device for use with a golf putter which may be used not only to indicate the correct alignment of the putter relative to the ball and hole but also the length of stroke required to drive the ball the distance to the hole.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawing 3,667,761 Patented June 6, 1972 wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the golf putter and aligning device of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the head portion of the golf putter of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the golf putter of my invention;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line IVIV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the golf putter of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the golf putter of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of a third embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the golf putter of FIG. 10.

The golf putter of my invention has a head portion 10 which is secured to a shaft 12 and on which is releasably mounted an aligning rod 14. The shaft 12 has a grip 11 at its upper end which is angled slightly relative to the shaft 10 so as to give the golfer a clear view of the aligning rod 14.

The head portion 10 has a flat face 16 with which the golf ball is struck. An oblong recess 18 may be provided in the face 16 to receive a rubber insert 20. Such a rubber faced ball striking surface is preferred by some golfers as it assures that the ball will be struck squarely by the putter. Projecting rearwardly from the vertical centerline of the face 16 is a raised portion 22 which terminates in a horizontal plane 24 normal to the ball striking face 16. A V-shaped groove 26 extends along the upper surface 24 of the projecting portion 22 and the axis of this groove 24 is normal to the ball striking face 16 on the vertical centerline thereof. Extending forwardly into the upwardly projecting portion 22 of the putter head from the rear thereof is a cylindrical bore 28 which is parallel to and tangent with the lower-most portion of the groove 26. A permanent magnet 30 in the form of a bar or rod is tightly received within the bore 28.

The aligning device 14 consists of a series of telescoping tubular members 32, 34, 36, of which at least the outer-most member 32 is of a magnetically attractable material. The diameter of the outer-most elements 32 is such that when this element is positioned within the groove 26 it is tangent to the upper-most surface of the magnet 30. In addition to being tangent to the magnet 30 the tubular element 32 is also in tangent contact with the sides of the groove 26 and is thus aligned with the axis of the groove and extends normal to the ball striking face 16 in vertical alignment with the midpoint of the face 16.

The head 10 is also provided with a neck-like portion 38 projecting angularly upward and offset from the centerline of the head. The necklike portion 38 is cored, as indicated by the reference numeral 40, to receive the lower end of the shaft 12.

When the golfer desires to use the putter and aligning device, he positions the telescoping rod 14 in the groove 26 with the sections 34 and 3 6 projecting outwardly beyond the ball striking face 16. The magnet 30 pulls the outer-most section 32 tightly into the groove 26, holding the aligning rod 14 firmly in position and assuring that it is correctly aligned relative to the face 16. The golfer new positions the putter with the striking face 16 immediately adjacent the golf ball B. He then adjusts the position of the putter until the aligning rod 14 passes directly over the midpoint of the ball and points directly toward the midpoint of the cup or hole into which the aligned so'that when the ball is struck it-w'illbe driven directly toward the hole. Since the distance that the ball is driven is proportional to the stroke through which the putter head is moved prior to hitting the ball, the aligning rod may also be used to aid the golfer in determining the correct stroke to drive the ball the full distance to the hole without driving it so hard as to cause it to continue beyond the hole. This is accomplished, after the putter has been correctly aligned as described above, by using the ends of the tubular sections 32, 34 and 36 as reference points to determine the length of the stroke needed to drive the ball the desired distance. With practice, the golfer can quickly determine the distance that the ball will be driven if the putter is moved backwardly so that the outer end of the tube 34 is aligned with the centerline of the ball, for example. It is, of course, ap-' parent that any convenient point on the aligning rod, 14, such as the tip 42, may also be used as a reference point. Additional markings 44 may be provided at spaced intervals'along the various sections of the aligning rod '14 to also serve as reference marks, if desired. Whenithe golfer has completed his putt, he removes the aligning rod '14 from the putter. The tubular sections 34 and 36 2-6 may also be used as an aligning aid without the rod easily carried in a shirt pocket, for example. The groove 26 may also be used as an aligning acid without the rod 14. Thus the putter may be used with the aligning rod 14 during practice and without the rod during competitive play. Since there are no mounting holes or slots for retaining the aligning rod -14, the putter is used as a conventional putter when the aligning rod 14 is removed.

FIGS. -7 illustrate a second embodiment of my invention in which a telescoping aligning rod 50 is slidingly received in a bore 52 in the head portion 54 of a putter. The bore 52 is located above the ball striking face 56 of the putter and extends normal to this face. As will be seen most clearly from FIGS. 5 and 7, a second bore 58 is provided in the rear portion of the putter immediately below and parallel to the bore 52. A round bar magnet 60 is received in this lower bore 58 and serves to hold the aligning rod 50 in the upper bore 52 and to prevent be positioned in the rear end of the aligning rod 14 rather than within the putter head. since theseandother' changes may be made in and to the invention, reference should be had to the appended claims in determining the true scope of the invention.

l. The combination ,of a golf putter and an aligning device therefor, comprising:

an elongated straight rod; a

a putter having a shaft and a head affixed to one end of the shaft, the head having a hall striking face a'ndan enlarged portion located rearwardly of the face, projecting upwardly above the top edge of theface, and having an upper surface elongated in the direction normal to the plane of the face, the enlarged portion of the head having means for receiving and position-- ing the rod whereby the rod extends normal to. the plane of the face and projects'forwardly beyond the face; and

means for retaining the rod in position.; i l i 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said upper surface of saidprojecting portion is provided with a groove extendingthe length of said surface at right angles to said ball-striking surface, said elongated rod provided with an elongated magnet adjacent to and paralaxial movement of the rod. The upper surface of the putter head 54 is provided with a slot or rib 62 which also extends normal to the ball striking face 56 of the putter. It will be apparent that this embodiment may be used either in practice or in competition play. The aligning rod 50 is used to assist the golfer in correctly aligning the putter during practice sessions. During competition play, when the use of such aligning rods is prohibited, the golfer may still use the groove or rib 62 as an aid in putting.

Another embodiment of the invention is'illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. As in the previous embodiment, an aligning rod 64 is received slideably in a bore 66 extend ing through the head portion 68 of a golf putter with its lel with said groove.

4. The combination accordingto claim 3 wherein said elongated rod is formed of telescoping sections, at least one of which is magnetically attractable. I

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the retaining means includes a permanent magnet exerting a force between the rod and the upwardly projecting portron.

'6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein the upwardly projecting portion has a through bore the axis ofwhich is normal to the ball striking face, the rod is slideably received in the bore and includes a magnetically attractable portion, and a permanent magnet is provided in the upwardly projecting portion immediately adjacent to the bore. a a

7. The combination'according to claim 5 wherein the upwardly projecting portion terminates in a flat-upper surface having a groove extending across the u'pper'surface and normal to the ball-strikingsurface, the rod axis normal to the plane of the ball striking face 70. In this embodiment, the outer-most section of the telescoping aligning rod 64 is provided with a series of annular grooves 72 at'uniformly spaced intervals along its length. A ball 74 is carried at the upper end of a vertical bore in the putter head which communicates with the bore 66. The ball 78 is urged upwardly by a spring 80 and threaded plug 82 and engages one of the grooves 72 to releasably hold the rod 64. A slot 84 is again provided along the top surface of the putter to provide an additional aiming aid when the aligning rod 64 is not used.

It should be noted that changes may be made in and to the above described preferred embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof. Thus, for example, the aligning rod 14 may be of'asingle piece of material rather than telescoping. Likewise, if the'putte'r includes a magnetically attractable portion which rests in the groove, and a permanent magnet is provided in the upwardly projecting portion immediately adjacent the groove. I

8. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the upwardly projecting portion has a through bore the axis of which extends normal to the ball striking face anda second bore extending from the through bore withdts axis at right angles to the axis of the through bore, the rod is slideably received in the through bore and has at least one annular groove, and a ball is retained in the second bore and biased toward the through bore forengag'ement in an annular groove of the rod.

References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS- GEORGE I. ,MARLO, Primary Examiner .Us. or. X.R. 

